Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-01-05

p1bhc. II answer 20 The queries Of tbq
reporter the skipper spun tho following
yarn:
IS, have been travelling down to the
ls-a-i1S 1Cr some years, ami any in forlna-
/ ton can give you in regard to them 1
shall be glad to furnish. Here's chart of
the Pacific and here are the islands. They
are composed wholly of coral. There are
coral patches few feet under the surface
OF the water and fifteen or twenty feet in
| circumference scattered all round the
islands. Vessels never enter the harbors
early IN the morning, say before ten a. m.
or after three O'Clock in the afternoon
The reason of this is that the suns rays
throw such glare on the water that it is
impossible to see the patches and naviga-
ton is dangerous. The largest of the
island are Tapenteonea, or Drummond,
and Tarawa, or Cook Island. The first
named is thirty miles long by about half a
mile wide, and the second is twenty
miles long. Occasionally vessels visit the
islands from Australia and New Zealand
These vessels take trading cargoes to
the Samoan and Navigator Islands, the
Tonga group and the Ellis and Legiep
Islands. Sometimes vessels taking a cargo
from here to Samoa or Australia get
chartered on the return trip with. a lot of
COpra from the ISLANDS.
There are several Kings down there
but as a rule they do not seem to be much
respected. One of them, however, Tim
banoka, rules over three islands-Kurea.
Arenuka and Apamana. Timbanoka is a
very large man: he must weigh nearly
three hundred pounds, and he is a regular
despot. He has thirty wives, and has sew
eral times had them all down on board INV
vessel They are almost all young, but
very homely. They have very lone hair
and regular features. The chief treats
them well, and often takes them in a lot
on board training schooner and buys for
them any thing that takes their fancy. He
lives in so-called palace" made of CO.
coanut trees, matched with palm leaves.
and he has it furnished with chairs.
lounges, crockery, pictures, cutlery, crock
eryware, etc, imported from this city. He
is very fond of champagne, and always
has good supply Of that and other wines
on hand, and quantities of canned meats
and fruits. He buys any thing he sees on
the schooners that takes his fancy; he has
number of gold watches and chains and
lots OF Jewelry. Sometimes he would
come on board dressed in handsome silk
gown, looking like fat old lady; at other
times he had on a full Admiral's uniform.
sword, epaulets and cooked hat Anyves-
sci entering his harbors mus take a pilot
and pay the pilotage, five dollars, to him.
1.-THE natives are copper-colored and are
OF medium size. The men and women
wear simply girdle around the middle
made OF cocoanut leaves. called tareva.
The Kings wives alone wear linen gowns.
Ihey are as cleanly as the Japanese and
take bath at least once day. They
all, however, seem to be afflicted with
hai nd Af 81
amusements seems to be to pick the insects
out OF each others heads and eat them,
just like monkeys. The men all smoke in
pipes or as cigarettes very strong tobacco
called niggerhead. This they shave or
slice with their thumb-nail. They have no
pockets, but every man has a hole bored in
the lobe of each ear. In one hole he sticks
the stem of his pipe when not in use, in
the other the dried tobacco for his cigarette
wrappers. Each man has a small patch of
land, where he grows cocoanut and taro
Cocoanut, taro and fish form their whole
sustenance. The cocoanuts not used for
food arc split and dried in the sun, and
then called copra. This is their sole ar
ticle Of trade. About three hundred tons
are shipped every year from the
three islands. The natives are not
tattooed. They are expert fishers
and divers. AT night the fishing canoes
go out in long line. In the bow of each
stands man with lighted torch formed
of dried leaves twisted round a bamboo
pole. The fish jump to the light and are
scooped up with hoop nets. A shipmaster
approaching the islands at night always
keeps good lookout for these lights as
landmark. The natives also use a large
quantity of giantpowder lately in catch
ing fish, and many have been manned and
killed in using it. 1t is no uncommon
thing to see a girl of eleven and twelve
years of age with family. At twenty
and twenty-five years of age the women
are old hays. Well, that's all I can think
of now to tell you about the islands and
natives, but come aboard on my return
from this trip and may have some more
items for you"